An exclusive survey of members of the American Society of Business Publication Editors shows a serious concern about ethics at their business-to-business magazine operations.
Some 360 business-to-business magazines have ASBPE members. The survey invitation was sent via SurveyMonkey to each magazine’s highest-ranking editorial staff member who belongs to ASBPE. Responses came from 157 members (representing 157 magazines), a 43.6% response rate to a long 39-question online survey.
While the results of this survey are not valid for the entire population of business-to-business editors, it is a solid picture of how ASBPE members feel.
Among the 37% of publications that have ASBPE members and have their own formal editorial code of ethics, editors at nearly a third of them said that their publication or company “only sometimes” backs the editors up when they take an ethical stand. Some 64% of respondents said that their company or organization does back them up.
Among editors whose publications lack a formal code, 47% said that their organization backs them up “only sometimes.” The remaining 53% said their companies do back them up, thus having an “ethical editorial environment.”
Overall, more than 90% of the ASBPE members who responded to the survey said they believe that business-to-business publications need to have ethics guidelines. Editors also clearly want help in dealing with specific ethical situations (see sidebar below) as 75% of the respondents answered the question: “What provisions would you like to see in such a code?”
Previous ASBPE research also shows dissatisfaction
The ethics survey, which called for a large number of open-ended responses, suggested that the current world of editorial ethics leaves much to be desired.
These sentiments are in line with other ASBPE research in which 76% of the Society’s members who responded said they faced ad-related editorial demands, and 30% said they succumbed to the sales pressure.
The current results are also in line with ASBPE’s salary survey last year, which had a sample of almost 3,900 editors and which indicated that 43% of editors are dissatisfied with their jobs over ethics issues, inadequate pay, fewer staff, and increasing workloads.
Complete survey results will be made available on request. For ASBPE members, research data is available at www.asbpe.org <http://www.asbpe.org/> .
Why the ethics research?
The ethics study was done in preparation for an ASBPE code revision. The Society also has studied the codes of other journalism-related associations and publishers, as well as the ideas of consultants. Additionally, ASBPE has had some spirited discussions by members at its online discussion forum.
A new code is expected to be in place some time in the first quarter of 2006.
“Our study reflects ASBPE’s need to base the revision of our own ethics code on the needs that our members see,” said national president Roy Harris, senior editor of CFO magazine. “A lot has changed since the Society last did an update five years ago.
“The current media environment invited a survey, too, with new controversy raging over product placement by advertisers and over activities among journalists at reputable news organizations that are questionable at best.”
The ethics survey examined the attitudes and behavior surrounding a number of ethical questions. Responses suggested certain provisions that ought to be in a code or guideline, and indicated that transparency — publishing the code to make it available to staff and readers — must be considered.
In a profession where journalists ask others to be open and transparent, almost 85% of respondents said that their magazine or company/organization does not officially publish their code of ethics, or other statement of ethical principles, if they have one, for readers to see.
Non-editorial staff have ethical lapses
In answer to a question about whether ethical violations had been observed among staff, 40% said they were aware of sales staff engaging in unethical behavior.
The response for awareness of unethical behavior among editorial staff was 22%, and 19% said they were aware of such behavior with the person holding the publisher job title.
Enforcement is problematic
Additionally, 70% of respondents from magazines with a code said that either there are no consequences when it is violated, or that they don’t know of any consequences.
An open-ended question on what types of ethical breaches are seen the most yielded a huge response. Answers ranged from notations that publications blur the line between advertising and editorial to cases of employees owning stock in companies that advertise.
In those cases in which there is enforcement of ethics-code breaches, only one respondent — from a magazine on which all staff must sign the code — said formal investigations are held when a violation is reported.
Among the larger number of respondents whose organizations didn’t enforce, answers about the alternative course taken in the case of an ethical lapse suggested a subjective response. “Use common sense,” said one. Another said, “I’d check with all parties.”
Other results
The study indicated that many (31%) of the respondents’ organizations use ASBPE’s current code of ethics as a template for development of their own codes. Members use ASBPE’s guidelines more than any other organization’s code. Additionally, ASBPE’s code was said to be more useful than other organizations’.
While the vast majority of respondents (92%) said it is important for an organization or a magazine to have a code, only 59% said that editorial codes of ethics were in place at their magazine or their organization. Of those 59%, 37% said the codes were formal (officially adopted), while 42% said they were informal, defined as an “ethical editorial environment” (magazine or company/organization “backs you up” or “buys into” ethical editorial decisions) in which no code had been officially adopted.
In addition to their strong feelings about a code, nearly 83% of respondents felt that such a code should both offer a general statement of principles and provide guidelines on specific issues, such as accepting gifts from sources or advertisers. The response strongly suggested that editors want help in dealing with specific ethical situations.
What some members want in an ethics code:
- The code must make clear that . . . reporting, writing, editing and presenting information . . . is not created or adapted to conform to the needs of advertisers, the predilections of publishers, or, in fact, the arbitrary whims of editors. Reporters and editors [should] not make sales calls . . . accept more than token gifts. . . . Any and all possible conflicts (stock ownership, family relationships) must be disclosed.
- Clarification for readers of what is paid content and what is editorial content.
- No prior review of edit material. [A] corrections policy [is needed].
- Disciplinary actions . . . against those who don't follow the code of ethics.
- Statement of editorial values superseding advertising and revenue-producing values.
- Statement that the publication pays all expenses — not advertisers or sources.
- Rules about how stories are covered, including digital media, and how we treat sources, confidential materials, unnamed sources.
- Editors should have the final say in what gets printed. Companies interviewed should not be allowed to review articles before publication, except for checking technical accuracy.
- A clear position on employees' accepting outside work — freelance assignments or part-time teaching, for example. Clear direction regarding employees' political activities and expressions of opinion in blogs, columns, . . .
- The role of the editor on sales calls.
- We need to hold ourselves to the type of standards we are asking of our readers, or specifically of the companies that are the primary readership. Transparency and disclosure.
About ASBPE
Based in Wheaton, Ill., ASBPE (www.asbpe.org <http://www.asbpe.org/> ) is the nation’s only professional association for editors and writers who work on business, trade, association, and professional print magazines and newsletters and their associated Internet publications. The Society helps editors develop editorial and publishing management skills that will enhance their performance with the highest ethical standards, the editorial excellence of their publications, and that will prepare them for larger roles publishing.
The Society is widely known for its annual Awards of Excellence competition in editorial and design of magazines, newsletters, and Web sites and e-newsletters, as well as its annual National Editorial Conference.
ASBPE has more than 700 members and chapters in 14 cities — Atlanta, Boston/New England, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, New York, Northern Michigan, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul), and Washington, D.C. — which host meetings to provide face-to-face professional guidance, networking, and educational presentations to editors at the local level.
The Society also sponsors an annual scholarship for young editors and conducts a host of editorial-related research projects. ASBPE’s Web site features a popular job posting area, along with a members-only section with a wealth of how-to articles and a discussion forum geared to help editors do their work more effectively.
For information about ASBPE, contact Janet Svazas, executive director, ASBPE, 214 North Hale St., Wheaton, IL 60187, 630-510-4588.
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